This invention is related to a pulse adapter assembly. More specifically, this invention is related to a pulse adapter assembly that is utilized in association with an oil flow meters.
In the petroleum process control industry positive displacement flow meters are used to accurately measure the volume of hundreds of various liquid chemicals and other products. These products are often toxic, flammable, corrosive or otherwise dangerous.
All positive displacement meters operated by rotating vanes, paddles, or oscillating disks or pistons which eventually rotate a shaft that exit the meters case through a seal or packing gland. Before electronics were used for the registering or monitoring of the meters output, a “stack” consisting of a counter and possibly a preset device and printer would be installed on the meter in such a way that the meter output shaft would mechanically drive the devices in the stack.
The first application of remotely monitoring the meter was the use of a pulse assembly attached to meter counter or directly to the meter output shaft. These devices would use a cam to operate a mechanical switch or a magnet to operate a reed switch or solid state sensor. In any case, the pulser was still driven by the meter output shaft.
Given that the seal or packing and shaft would eventually wear and leak, some meter manufacturers have designed “glandless” pulsers which use a driver magnet internal to the meter which couples to a driven magnet in the pulser, thus eliminating the output shaft and seal. Typically, the driven magnet is mechanically coupled to an optical rotary encoder or similar pulse producing device.
The design of currently available pulsers are specific to brand of meter and are not readily adaptable to other brands. In addition, many meter manufacturers do not offer such a “glandless” device.
Current available pulsers can be mounted in only one or a limited number of positions. Because all are fitted with a conduit hub for wiring this can cause complication in conduit routing, especially in classified hazardous areas where rigid conduit is required.
Recently, semi-conductor manufacturers have introduced integrated circuits, “chips” that are capable of detecting the rotational position of a diametrically polarized magnet. One chip in particular, is capable of producing multiple outputs including two channels of pulses 90 degrees out of phase (quadrature); absolute position in degrees of rotation; absolute position in hexadecimal (0-1024 bits); and pulse width modulation proportional to position.
Even with all the advances in the arts, many problems still remain. These problems include being unable to adapt a single pulse adapter assembly for any type of flow meter. In addition, typical pulse adapter assemblies are very complex with many parts, are expensive to manufacture, difficult to maintain and typically are not sealed allowing contaminates to enter into the assemblies. As a result of all these problems typical pulse adapter assemblies wear out quickly are expensive and can be very inefficient and inaccurate.
Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a universal pulse adapter assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to simplify and reduce the amount of parts of a pulse adapter assembly.
These and other features, advantages and objectives will become apparent from the specification and claims.